Tuesday, September 06, 2016
Barbara Lee has a whole lot of love to give - and it shows.
As an Environmental Services attendant at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Barbara doesn’t just clean rooms. She engages patients. She makes each one feel special. She goes above and beyond.
But with Connor Pierz, something was different.
The 15-year-old had been at a friend’s cottage for a weekend last summer. Connor got a few mosquito bites, scratched them and didn't think much of them. By Sunday, he wasn’t feeling well. He had a terrible headache and it wasn’t too long before a high fever and vomiting set in.
Dawn and Tim Pierz took their son to Beaumont Hospital, Farmington Hills. Connor’s EC doctor knew immediate interventions were necessary and called for Beaumont One to pick up the teenager and take him to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. When Dawn asked why he couldn’t go by ambulance, the doctor replied that she didn’t think he’d make it. His organs were shutting down.
Connor spent the next 11 days in a coma in the pediatric intensive care unit. Barbara was assigned to his room. In fact, Barbara was the first person Connor saw when he woke up - and she was dancing.
“I love to dance and sing at work,” said Barbara. “I just saw him lying there and he smiled.”
Connor’s recovery was long and hard. In addition to the 11 days he spent in the PICU, he was on the pediatric unit for seven more. Because of the seriousness and extent of his illness, he fell into a deep depression.
“The only person who could make him smile was Barbara,” recalled Connor’s father. “She sang, danced, brought him a balloon and even a stuffed animal.”
The effect Barbara had on Connor made all the difference.
“This is a classic example of how every single person who works here matters and makes an impact on patient care,” says Cheryl Webster-Miller, director of Hospitality and Environmental Services.
To honor their friendship, Connor and his parents returned to Beaumont Children’s on the one-year anniversary of his admission to thank Barbara for the profound difference she made in the teenager’s life.
This is a classic example of how every single person who works here matters and makes an impact on patient care.
Webster-Miller
“You made me happy,” Connor told Barbara. “I might even take you to prom!”
By way of thanking Barbara, Connor gave her a plant, a card and stuffed animals to pass out to other kids who need cheering up.
“My heart just went out to him,” recalled Barbara. “I knew he needed a little extra. I’m just full of love and I have a lot to give. I’m happy to give some to Conner. I’ll cherish him forever.”
Barbara is a 16-year employee of Beaumont Health, the past three at Beaumont Children’s. She takes two buses to get to work and has only been late once. She embodies Beaumont's mission of compassionate, extraordinary care every day.